Neurocognitive function and CNS integrity in adult survivors of childhood Hodgkin lymphoma

With the combination of multi-modality therapy (chemotherapy and radiotherapy), childhood and adolescent patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) have close to 90% 5-year survival rates. However, survival is not without cost. Children and adolescents survivors of HL are at risk for numerous late complications of chemotherapy and radiation therapy including secondary malignancies, cardiac and pulmonary dysfunction, and psychosocial sequelae. A recent paper by Krull et al. suggests that survivors are also at risk for neurocognitive impairment that is usually associated and seen in survivors of cranial nervous system disease and leukemia survivors (1). Though the data presented in the paper investigates historic radiotherapy doses and modalities, it is important to consider neurocognitive deficits can exist in patients that do not receive traditional cranial nervous system therapy.